Just found out anchovies melt into butter for sauces

I was watching some old cooking show rerun from 2009 and this chef tossed a few anchovy fillets into a pan with butter before building a pasta sauce. I always thought anchovies were just for Caesar salad or pizza, but they literally dissolve and add this salty umami kick without tasting fishy at all. Has anyone else tried this trick for a quick weeknight sauce?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim.wren1d ago

Oh man, YES. This is literally my go-to move for lazy pasta nights. I started doing this a few years ago after reading it in a food blog comment section and thought "no way this works." But it absolutely does. I just smash them into the butter with a fork as it melts, and they disappear into this savory salty goodness. I use it for a quick aglio e olio style sauce with garlic and chili flakes, and it fools everyone into thinking I spent hours on it. Total game changer for a simple pantry dinner.

susan_wells1d ago

Wait, you just smash anchovies into butter and they disappear?